Ethics Violations Treated Differently In Tennessee House and Senate, New Policies In House Shield Members Accountability

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The Tennessee Conservative [By Kelly M. Jackson] –

Former Representative Scotty Campbell (R-Mountain City) appears to have escaped any serious consequences for the violations that were found to be substantiated by the House Ethics Subcommittee at the end of March. 

Last week, Campbell resigned from his seat effective immediately in the middle of the day, two hours after he had expressed his intention to stay in his seat regardless of what the findings of the Subcommittee were. 

Public pressure from the allegations being released via the media, compelled Mr. Campbell to resign immediately, without finishing the legislative day. 

Under the current policy, when a complaint is filed it goes to a subcommittee which consists of two Democrats and two Republicans, and if they find that the claims of the complaint are substantiated, the details of the process and its outcomes are kept from everyone outside of that committee, including The Speaker, and the issuance of the outcome of the investigation triggers a filing of the report that is then supposed to be subject to public access. 

According to a report, William Lamberth (R-Portland) said, “When this came to light, a letter went in the file, which is what is the public notice there’s been something of distinction that has occurred. When questioned about that letter, this member chose to resign.”

The policy states that at that time, the filing is subject to public disclosure, so according to Lamberth, “There’s a letter there so that this type of public discussion can be had.”

The argument for such secrecy in the process is so that any of the victims in any given case shall feel they can come forward whenever there is an inappropriate action, not fearing public exposure, causing devastating effects on their life. 

However, in this situation, the intern in question was relocated and moved around from one office to another in order to be separated from Campbell, which was incredibly disruptive to her life, versus Campbell who in the three weeks preceding the Ethics Subcommittee outcome, kept his seat, kept his staff, his office and any other perks that he was given when he came to The Hill. 

The argument here, is that there is no deterrent in place for any future behavior to be curtailed.

In the State Senate, things are done a lot differently.

According to a report, Lt Governor McNally’s spokesman, Adam Kleinheider, said, “In the Senate, after an investigation determines probable cause exists that a violation has been committed by a Senator, the matter is referred to the Senate Ethics committee and would result in a public hearing. The Senate believes this process properly balances transparency, confidentiality and protecting victims.” 

It appears between the two processes, The House is overlooking the possibility that while the secrecy of the process and those involved does go a long way to protect victims’ privacy, the Senate process does a better job of holding those who violate the ethics rules accountable while protecting the victims involved. 

About the Author: Kelly Jackson is a recent escapee from corporate America, and a California refugee to Tennessee. Christ follower, Wife and Mom of three amazing teenagers. She has a BA in Comm from Point Loma Nazarene University, and has a background in law enforcement and human resources. Since the summer of 2020, she has spent any and all free time in the trenches with local grassroots orgs, including Mom’s for Liberty Williamson County and Tennessee Stands as a core member.  Outspoken advocate for parents rights, medical freedom, and individual liberty. Kelly can be reached at kelly@tennesseeconservativenews.com.